System and method for collecting donations to play computer game

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method for providing a computer game such as, for example, a social network game includes steps of hosting the game at a server, receiving a request from a player to play the game, enabling game play, requesting a donation from the player to continue play or to enable access to a game feature, and continuing game play or enabling access to the game feature only if the donation is received. A donation request screen may be displayed at the transition from one completed game level to a successive game level, when the game is over, or at any other time during game play. Multiple donation amounts may be specified on the donation request screen, each donation amount providing a different number of game credits. This method enables donations to be collected for a charitable entity while playing computer games. The method also raises social awareness through game play.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is the first application filed for the present technology.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates generally to systems and methods for computerized games and, in particular, to systems and methods for social network games.

BACKGROUND

Social network games are online games played via a social network platform such as Facebook® and Google+. These may be single-player or multiplayer games. Social network games are frequently implemented as browser games using technologies such as Adobe Flash, PHP, HTML5 or JavaScript. Player may invite friends to play as allies or against one another.

Some social network games are free whereas others may use game play credits or a “virtual currency” to buy virtual goods, e.g. Facebook Credits, which players may have to purchase with real-world money. With the credits or virtual currency, players can buy upgrades that would otherwise take much longer to earn through in-game achievements. In many cases, some upgrades are only available via the virtual currency.

U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0004055 (which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety) discloses a system and method for donations using online interactive games. This gaming system and method enables players to compete via a social network game. Each player designates his own charity to receive a donation if that player wins. The wagered amount is then donated to the charity designated by the winning player. This technology, however, requires that one player compete against another player. This technology also requires that the player select the charity to receive the donation.

New technologies are required that enable a charity to set up a social network game for the purposes of soliciting donations. Other improvements on the prior art are also desirable to make the collection of donations easier, more effective and/or more efficient.

SUMMARY

In general, the present invention provides an innovative technique for collecting donations in social network gaming. A donation to a charitable entity is requested during game play. To continue playing or, alternatively, to gain access to a special in-game feature, the player must make a donation.

Thus, an aspect of the present invention is a computer-implemented method for providing a computer game like a social network game. The method entails hosting the game (e.g. social network game) at a server (e.g. a social network server), receiving a request from a player to play the game, enabling game play, requesting a donation from the player to continue play or to access a game feature, and continuing game play or enabling access to the game feature only if the donation is received.

Another aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable medium (or machine-readable medium) comprising instructions in code which when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a computing device (that is hosting the computer game such as a social network game) to receive a request from a player to play the game, enable game play, request a donation from the player to continue play or to enable access to a game feature, and continue game play or enable access to the game feature only if the donation is received.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a game server, e.g. a social network game server, comprising a memory operatively coupled to a processor for hosting a game (e.g. a social network game) and a network interface for receiving a request from a client device of a player to play the game. The processor is configured to cooperate with the network interface to enable game play on the client device of the player, request a donation from the player to continue play or enable access to a game feature, and continue game play or enable access to the game feature only if the donation is received.

Other aspects of the invention are described below in relation to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present technology will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a client-server architecture of a social network gaming system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of a server for hosting a social network game in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting steps of a method of collecting donations through a social network game in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a first user interface of a social network game that presents a main game screen for launching the game;

FIG. 5 depicts an example of a second user interface of the social network game that presents a game play screen;

FIG. 6 depicts an example of a third user interface of the social network game that presents a level-advancement screen for making an optional donation;

FIG. 7 depicts an example of a fourth user interface of the social network game that presents a congratulations screen with a mandatory donation to play the next level;

FIG. 8 depicts an example of a fifth user interface of the social network game that presents a randomly occurring donation screen requiring a donation to keep playing;

FIG. 9 depicts an example of a sixth user interface of the social network game that presents a play again screen that requires a donation to re-start the game;

FIG. 10 depicts an example of a seventh user interface of the social network game that presents a donation payment screen (or donation request screen);

FIG. 11 depicts an example of an eighth user interface that presents a feature access screen that requires a donation to enable access to a game feature; and

FIG. 12 depicts an example of a ninth user interface that enables a social network game to spread the word about a charity by providing a selection screen for the player to select friends from the player's social network.

It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A donation-soliciting computer game system and method may be implemented as a social network game, as a web game, as a PC game, on a game console, on a mobile device, tablet or any other computing device. An implementation as a social network game is described to illustrate one exemplary way of using the present invention. The game may include logos, photos and information about a charity. Donations to the charity are made to continue playing the game.

FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a system 100 for social network gaming in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As depicted by way of example in FIG. 1, the system 100 includes a social network server 120 in a server-client relationship with one or more client computers 110. The social network server provides a platform for social networking such as Facebook®, Google+™, MySpace®, etc. A social network game may be hosted by the social network server 120. Alternatively, a separate game server 125 may be provided for hosting the social network game. For example, the game may be hosted on a third-party server.

The client computer 110 may be connected to the server 120 via the Internet 140 or any other data network in a WAN, MAN or LAN. The client computer 110 may use a Web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc.) to play the game. The game may be served to the client computer using HTTP or any other suitable data transfer protocol. A third party payment processor (or processing server) 130 may be provided for accepting donations. Alternatively, payment processing may be integrated with the social network server 120 or with the game server 125.

The client computer 110 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet, mobile device, or any other computing device that includes a processor (or microprocessor) operatively coupled to a memory. The client computer includes a user interface for playing the game. The user interface may include one or more user input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, voice recognition module, etc. The user interface also includes a display screen, speakers, headphone jack with headphones, etc. for viewing and/or listening to the game.

The social network game may be hosted by a social network server 120 or game server 125 such as the one represented schematically by way of example in FIG. 2. The server(s) may be Apache HTTP server(s) or any other HTTP or Web server(s). As noted above, the game server 125 may be separate from the social network server 120 or the game server 125 may be integrated with the social network server 120. Each of the servers 120, 125 may be a single server, a server cluster, or a cloud.

As shown in FIG. 2, the social network server 120 (or game server 125) includes a central processing unit or processor 200 operatively coupled via bus 210 to a memory 240 for hosting the game. The bus also connects the processor 200 and memory 240 to a network interface (or communications port) 220. The bus further connects the processor 200 and memory 240 to an input/output controller 230. The input/output controller may be connected to user output devices like a display screen and speakers. The input/output controller may also be connected to user input devices like a keyboard, mouse, etc.

As further depicted in FIG. 2, the social network server 120 (or associated game server 125) may run an operating system (OS) 250 (stored in memory 240) for executing a social networking application 260 to provide social networking functions such as those commonly found on popular social networking platforms like Facebook®, Google+™, MySpace®, etc. The OS and application may be created using different programming languages. For example, Facebook's front-end servers run a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) stack with Memcache.

User profiles for members of the social network may be stored in a user profiles database 265. In the embodiment illustrated in this figure, a social network game application 270 is stored in memory 240 and run by operating system 250. Game profiles may be stored in a game profile database 275. In another embodiment, the game application 270 and game profile database 275 are stored in a separate game server 125 (i.e. separate from the social network server 120).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting steps, acts or operations of a method (or process) for collecting donations in a social network game. As depicted in FIG. 3, the method generally includes a step 300 of hosting the social network game at a social network server, a step 310 of receiving a request from a player to play the game, a step 320 of enabling game play, a step 330 of requesting a donation from the player to continue play or to access a game feature, and a step 340 of continuing game play or enabling access to the game feature only if the donation is received. By making a donation, the player may continue playing the game, e.g. may advance to a next level, re-start an ended game, resume an interrupted game, or may access any special in-game features that would otherwise be inaccessible to the player. It is important to note that the donation request is not necessarily performed at the transition between levels or at the end of game play. The donation request may appear at a randomly determined time during game play or it may occur intentionally immediately prior to the climax of the game, e.g. right before the player is about to battle the level's main adversary or right before the final lap in a racing game.

In other words, the donation may unlock special game features, give access to new areas/maps, provide special powers, confer immunities, increase speed, strength, etc. as opposed to merely permitting continued game play.

Regarding step 300, the game may be hosted at the social network server 120 or server cluster, on a cloud, or on a separate game server 125, or any combination thereof.

Regarding step 310, receiving the request may be done by receiving a command from within the social network application, e.g. by entering a games area, then selecting the game category from a menu and then launching the specific game.

Enabling game play (step 320) entails serving HTTP data to the client computer to provide the game to the user associated with the client computer.

Regarding step 330, requesting the donation may occur at a transition from one level to another level. Alternatively, it may occur at any given time during game play, e.g. the game may be interrupted after a predetermined (or randomly determined) period of time. This requesting step 330 thus entails presenting a request for a donation by displaying a donation request screen either during game play or during an intermission in game play. Presenting a donation request screen enables the player to make a donation to a charitable entity in order to continue playing the game. Alternatively, a link may be provided to another site to make the donation.

Step 340 may entail receiving a donation from the player to continue play or to access special in-game features, powers, options, customization settings, game codes, etc. This may require a payment processing step of communicating with the payment processor. Alternatively, if game credits are already purchased by the player, the credits may be debited in response to the donation command. In one embodiment, a social network user may donate to enable another user to play the game. For example, a child may request that a parent donate money to enable the child to play the game. This may entail a request message being sent from the donation request screen to the parent and a response message being received back from the parent with the payment/donation. As a further option, a payment/donation may be made on behalf of a plurality of players, e.g. a parent may donate to enable a child and her friends (all separate users/players) to play the game.

This novel technology therefore provides a method and system to collect donations (to raise funds) for a charity in the context of online or Web-based gaming, and in particular, in the context of a social network game. In main implementations, a donation is requested or required to continue game play. For example, the donation may be requested or required when the player wishes to advance to a next level, after a certain amount of free plays, after a prescribed period of time or after any arbitrary trigger or event. In other words, the donation may be required after a period of time has elapsed (the period of time being fixed/predetermined or random). Alternatively, the donation may be required only if the player fails to attain a predetermined performance threshold. For example, if the player fails to complete a game task within a predetermined time, a donation is required to continue playing. As another example of a performance-dependent donation system, the donation is required only if the player fails to reach a predetermined threshold score.

In one embodiment, the donation is required (i.e. mandatory) to continue game play. Failure to donate at the least minimum mandatory amount will result in the game being terminated or paused (or advancement to a successive level denied). In another embodiment, the game merely requests a donation (and game play may continue if the player declines to make a donation). The game may employ a hybrid model, requesting optional donations at some points while requiring mandatory donations at other points.

Alternatively, the donation may be required to start the game, to join a multiplayer game already in progress or to save the game.

Alternatively, the donation may be required to edit or customize game elements of the game. For example, in a car racing game, customizing the car (by changing its appearance, engine, wheels, bodywork, etc.) may be allowed only if the player donates to the charity. In another example, a puzzle game enables the player to customize the puzzle by importing the player's own photo if the player donates to the charity.

Making the donation may be done by a payment processor, by credit card, debit system, etc. For example, the player may pay through any payment processor integrated with the social network platform. For example, when using Facebook®, Facebook's payment system called Facebook Credits (http://www.facebook.com/credits/) may be employed. Players will buy virtual Facebook currency (which may have its own name, e.g. Karma Coins). People can buy these Karma Coins using any of Facebook's supported methods—major credit cards, PayPal™, Facebook's own credit currency, gift cards, mobile payments, etc.

For games hosted on social network sites that do not have a payment processor, payment processing may be done using a payment processor such as RevenueWire™ (http://www.revenuewire.com/). RevenueWire™ also supports major credit cards, PayPal™, etc.

In one implementation, a player can obtain free additional credits by recruiting friends which increases the awareness of the charity. This may involve receiving an invitation message via the social network from the player to invite a friend to play the game. If the friend initiates play of the game, free game play credits are provided to the player who has invited the friend to play.

In one implementation, a player can obtain free additional credits by providing contact information or signing up to receive solicitations, appeals, electronic newsletters, invitations to fundraising events, joining a petition, etc. This may involve receiving a registration message from a charitable entity server to confirm that the player has registered with the charitable entity. In response to receiving the registration message, free game play credits may be provided to the player who has registered with the charitable entity. Free game play credits may be earned by the player by performing predetermined awareness-building tasks for the charitable entity such as sending messages or Tweets to friends and contacts, or by posting pre-approved or pre-packaged content from the charity on one's personal page or profile.

In a variant, the player inviting a new player who then signs up with the charity may receive additional free play credits as an incentive to recruit and sign up new people. These invitation messages and acceptance messages may be communicated via the social network. The viral aspect of social networking (e.g. inviting friends, leader boards, wall updates, etc.) makes this platform very useful although, as noted above, this method may be implemented on web games, game consoles, PC games, etc.

In another variant, information relating to the game may be broadcast via the social network. For example, the information may include invitations to multiplayer games, tournaments, high scores, records, game play results (of completed or ongoing games). This information may be disseminated via e-mail or the social network as postings, updates, messages, Tweets, etc. Information that a player has donated a certain amount of money to a certain charity may be published via the social network (e.g. as a message, Tweet, profile update, etc.) The player may control whether this information is published or kept private. The social network thus provides a platform for playing the game, attracting new potential player-donors and spreading news about the charity.

For example, a virtual soccer tournament may be run over a social network platform, with players being invited to join by messages sent by a first player (organizer). Each player access the game via the social network site and then donates to play in the multiplayer soccer game. Game results (e.g. player stats) and money raised may then be publicized through the social network to other friends and users as a means to increase awareness for the charity. In addition to sports-type games, the social network game may be an action game, a strategy game, a board game, a card game, a word game, a number game, a puzzle game, etc.

An example social network game is presented in FIG. 4-12. This is an example of a single-player word game although the inventive concepts presented herein may be applied to multiplayer games as well. This word game is, in this example, a social network game that may be played from a social network platform such as Facebook, Google+, MySpace, etc. Although the method is primarily intended for gaming on social networks, this method may be applied to other online Web-based games including games downloaded for an online applications store, e.g. Apple App Store. The technology may also be extended to PC gaming or mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, etc.) or game consoles (Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, etc.) that have an Internet connection through which donations may be made. It bears emphasizing that this novel technology may be applied to word games, puzzle games, strategy games, board games, action games, role-playing games, simulation games, or any other kinds of games.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a first user interface of a social network game. The first user interface provides a main game play screen 400 for an example word game. In this example, the game is created to raise funds for a specific charitable entity. The main screen 400 may display the name and/or logo 410 of the game and the name and/or logo 420 of the charitable entity. The main screen 400 also presents a game play portion or play space 430 where the actual elements of the game are displayed. This play space may also include one or more user interface elements (virtual buttons, menus, sliders, toggles, etc.) to enable the player to interact with the game. Some games may be controlled by clicking or touching UI elements onscreen. Input for these games are thus provided by mouse and/or keyboard input or, alternatively, touch or stylus input (for touchscreens). Other games may receive input from a joystick, gamepad or the like that may be connected, for example, via a USB port. Other games may receive player input from wireless motion-sensitive controllers that communicate input and motion via wireless infrared or RF signal transmitted to a receiver connected to the client computer. In this example implementation, the screen 400 includes a play button 422 (to commence game play) and a “spread the word” button 424 to disseminate information about the charity and/or the game to one's friends, e.g. via the social network.

The main screen may optionally include a selection of games that may be played for that charitable entity. As another option, the game may be associated with a plurality of different charities. The player may be given the choice to select which charity to support when beginning the game.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of a second user interface of the social network game that presents a game play screen 430. The game name and logo 410 and the charitable entity name and logo 420 may be depicted on this screen.

FIG. 6 depicts an example of a third user interface of the social network game that presents a level-advancement screen. To advance to the next level, the player clicks (or touches in the case of a touch screen device) the user interface element “Next Level” 435. An optional donation button 440 is provided. In other words, donation at this stage is optional to continue playing. FIG. 6 shows how the charity's name and logo may be displayed on this screen. In addition, the user interface (UI) may display information and/or images 450 relating to the charity, its endeavours, and any social issues pertaining to the charity's cause. This screen provides an opportunity to educate the player. Game play resumes by returning, for example, to a screen such as the one depicted in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 depicts an example of a fourth user interface of the social network game that presents a congratulations screen. The player's score or number of points accumulated thus far in the game may be presented as well as the score achieved at the last level. A user interface element (“Donate Now”) 440 may be provided to continue play at the next level. The charity's name/logo 420 may be displayed along with information/images 450 relating to the charity.

FIG. 8 depicts an example of a fifth user interface of the social network game that presents a randomly occurring donation screen. The donation screen may provide a user interface element (“Donate now”) 440 to enable the player to make a donation to a charitable entity. Images/information 450 about the charity may be displayed as shown by way of example in this figure.

Optionally, the screen may provide a selection of different charitable entities to which the donation(s) may be made. In one embodiment, the charitable entities may be selected based on the user profile. In a social network profile, the user may have indicated that he or she likes, supports or is affiliated with a particular charity. In one embodiment, the social network data stored in the user profiles is mined to determine if the user has already any involvement with charities. In one embodiment, these charities can be automatically incorporated as alternate selections in the donation screen. As will be appreciated, some games will be devoted exclusively to one charity. Playing that game will thus generate revenues only for that charity. However, in other embodiments, the game environment may be adapted to the charity selected by the user. Adapting the game may be accomplished by using widgets or other programming techniques to customize the look and feel of the game to any one particular charity. For example, the UI for a selected charity can be modified by importing and integrating its respective information (e.g. facts and educational materials) and its respective background themes, logos and other visual elements.

FIG. 9 depicts an example of a sixth user interface of the social network game that presents a play again screen. The play again screen enables the player to re-start the game by making a donation via donation button 440. The UI displays the “donate to play” button 440 when the player has run out of game play credits. The UI may alternatively display a “play again” button and a “donate” button if the player still has game credits. The charity's name/logo 420 may be displayed on this screen. In this and other figures, it should be appreciated that the location, size and layout of the logos and other visual elements of the game are presented solely by way of example to illustrate one way of implementing this inventive concept. Other layouts and presentations may be employed. Optionally, the UI may include information and/or images about the charity.

FIG. 10 depicts an example of an seventh user interface of the social network game that presents a donation payment screen (or donation request screen). The donation request screen may optionally include a plurality of preset donation amounts 460. Optionally, as shown by way of example, the donation request screen specifies different dollar amounts and their equivalent amounts in terms of game play credits. For example, as shown in this figure, once the player is required to make a donation in order to continue, the player can buy different amounts of game play credit (called “Karma Coins” in this example). For example, 10 Karma Coins may equal $2 which may equal 5 game plays. In one embodiment, as shown, there could be multiple pre-set amounts with better game play value as more is donated. In one embodiment, which is not shown, the highest price point (e.g. $20) may buy the player unlimited game play for that particular game, session, time frame, etc. In one embodiment, the donor may be informed as to what the donation will provide. For example, the user interface may specify that the donation of $20 will be used to plant two trees. In this example, donations are required to move to the next level. In other games, donations may be required or solicited not to advance to a next level but for other purposes such as, for example, to buy virtual goods or resources for use by the player in the virtual world of the game. After the donation is received, play continues or is restarted as the case may be. In another embodiment, which is not shown, the player can donate any arbitrary (i.e. non-preset) amount that the player desires.

FIG. 11 depicts an example of an eighth user interface that presents a feature access screen 470 for unlocking special in-game features. A donation button 440 is provided to make the donation to unlock or access the game feature that would be otherwise inaccessible to the player.

Optionally, the social network game may present a charity information screen (not illustrated). The charity information screen presents information 450 about the charity. The name/logo of the charity may also be displayed 420, as shown by way of example. Optionally, a hyperlink to the charity's website may be provided where the player may be informed about the current ‘hot’ issue of the day for the charity. This increases awareness of key issues, provides “calls for action” and increases the likelihood that players will sign online petitions and make donations, etc. Optionally, phone numbers, fax numbers, email addresses, links to related websites, news feeds, etc. may be provided on this or other pages/screen linked to this screen. Optionally, this screen may present the names of contact persons who may be contacted through the social network (which may be, for example, in the form of links to their social network site profiles). The information screen may include fun facts, educational elements, online petitions, etc. The game therefore does more than merely fundraising for the charity.

As the player progresses from one level to another, the player learns progressively more about the charity and the social or environmental issues that are of concern to the charity. The game then receives donations from the player to continue playing or to access new game features.

In the context of a social network game, one of the LA's could show a leader board with player scores and results. This may be used to attract new players to begin playing for the same charity and thereby to spur on more donations for the charity. The social network provides a highly effective means to invite new players and to raise awareness. For example, FIG. 12 presents an implementation of a “spread the word” social networking screen that enables a player to select friends to receive information, messages, etc. about the charity and/or the game.

Other screens and LA's may be provided. For example, where appropriate, a tax receipt may be downloaded for the donation. The social network game may include a tax receipt module that first determines (e.g. from the IP address) of the player's computer whether the player is eligible (based on local law) to use a tax receipt in his jurisdiction and then provides the option to download the tax receipt after the donation is made or after the gaming is done.

From the foregoing examples, it can be seen that, in one main implementation (for a game that is exclusive to the charity), the game screens contains information, images and logos of the charity that serves to educate the player and as a form of in-game advertising or advocacy for the charity. As mentioned above, another embodiment provides a generic game that can be adapted to one of a plurality of different charities so that it adopts the look and feel of the selected charity.

In addition to images and information, in one implementation, elements or aspects of the game itself may relate to the charitable endeavours of the charity. For word games, this may involve words and themes meant to educate the player about issues relating to the charity. For puzzle games, this may involve recreating an image that relates to the charity. For action games, this may involve performing a task that relates to the charity. For example, the player may need to rescue whales or put out forest fires or air drop food to hungry villagers. A strategy game may involve managing a crisis or allocating resources to the needy. The games may thus provide a means to educate and inform the players about the issues that motivate and drive the charitable entity. Experiencing the crisis or problem (at least through the virtual experience of the game) is a useful technique for developing the player's social conscience. Game play may be interrupted to deliver information, multimedia presentations, or news feeds about the charity and the issues it is facing. Players that become engrossed in the game will be more likely to donate (not only for reasons of charity and social conscience but also for the player's own entertainment).

In another implementation, the method includes performing an in-game act during game play, determining if the in-game act is one of a plurality of predetermined game acts that a charitable entity associated with the game performs in reality, and receiving a message during game play to signify that a real-world act will be undertaken by the charitable entity in response to the in-game act. For example, virtual items or virtual goods in the game may be mapped to their real-world, charitable equivalent. For example, donating to receive credits and buying a virtual item such as a virtual water well in the game will result in the funds being used to help build a well in the real world.

In a variant, a variety of widgets may be provided to players for placing on their Facebook® wall. The widgets may be in the form of virtual badges or certificates thanking the player for his donation and/or congratulating the player for reaching a certain level of game play.

In one implementation, this technology may be used by social responsible corporations by providing a promotional code to go online and play a few free games as a technique to expose the corporation's customers to the corporation's favourite charity and its game(s).

This technology therefore provides a novel paradigm for fundraising for charities, increasing their membership bases and stimulating awareness of the charities. By marrying donations to game playing, and by leveraging the social network environment, charities will be able to greatly increase their revenues and awareness for their causes. This technology enhances the online playing experience by creating a rich user experience that involves not only competing and playing the game itself but also educating oneself about a charity and its mission/purpose all the while financially contributing/supporting a noble cause.

The foregoing methods can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or as any suitable combination thereof. That is, the computer-readable medium comprises instructions in code which when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a mobile device is adapted to any of the foregoing method steps.

These method steps may be implemented as software, i.e. as coded instructions stored on a computer readable medium which performs the foregoing steps when the computer readable medium is loaded into memory and executed by the microprocessor of the mobile device. A computer readable medium can be any means that contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus or device. The computer-readable medium may be electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or any semiconductor system or device. For example, computer executable code to perform the methods disclosed herein may be tangibly recorded on a computer-readable medium including, but not limited to, a floppy-disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, RAM, ROM, EPROM, Flash Memory or any suitable memory card, etc. The method may also be implemented in hardware. A hardware implementation might employ discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logic functions on data signals, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

This new technology has been described in terms of specific implementations and configurations which are intended to be exemplary only. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many obvious variations, refinements and modifications may be made without departing from the inventive concepts presented in this application. The scope of the exclusive right sought by the Applicant(s) is therefore intended to be limited solely by the appended claims. 

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a computer game, the method comprising: hosting the computer game at a server; receiving a request from a player to play the game; enabling game play; requesting a donation from the player to continue play or to access a game feature; and continuing game play or enabling access to the game feature only if the donation is received.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the requesting of the donation occurs at a transition from a completed game level to a successive game level.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the requesting of the donation comprises presenting a donation request screen enabling the player to make a donation to a charitable entity in order to continue playing the game.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the donation request screen comprises a plurality of preset donation amounts corresponding to game play credits.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the donation request screen is displayed with an option to enter a user-specified amount for the donation.
 6. The method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising displaying an information screen presenting information about the charitable entity and displaying on the information screen a user interface element to continue play.
 7. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the donation request screen comprises a selection of multiple charitable entities.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: receiving via a social network hosting the game an invitation message from the player to invite a friend to play the game; and if the friend initiates play of the game, providing free game play credits to the player who has invited the friend to play.
 9. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: receiving a registration message from a charitable entity server to confirm that the player has registered with the charitable entity; and in response to receiving the registration message, providing free game play credits to the player who has registered with the charitable entity.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: performing an in-game act during game play; determining if the in-game act is one of a plurality of predetermined game acts that a charitable entity associated with the game performs in reality; and receiving a message during game play to signify that a real-world act will be undertaken by the charitable entity in response to the in-game act.
 11. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions in code which when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a computing device that hosts the computer game causes the computing device to: receive a request from a player to play the game; enable game play; request a donation from the player to continue play or to access a game feature; and continue game play or enable access to the game feature only if the donation is received.
 12. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 11 comprising code that causes the device to request the donation only at a transition from a completed game level to a successive game level.
 13. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 11 comprising code that causes the device to present a donation request screen enabling the player to make a donation to a charitable entity in order to continue playing the game.
 14. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 13 comprising code that causes the device to display the donation request screen with a plurality of preset donation amounts corresponding to game play credits.
 15. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 13 further comprising displaying an information screen presenting information about the charitable entity and displaying on the information screen a user interface element to continue play.
 16. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 13 wherein the donation request screen comprises a selection of multiple charitable entities.
 17. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 12 further comprising code to cause the device to: receive via a social network hosting the game an invitation message from the player to invite a friend to play the game; and if the friend initiates play of the game, provide free game play credits to the player who has invited the friend to play.
 18. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 12 further comprising code to cause the device to: receive a registration message from a charitable entity server to confirm that the player has registered with the charitable entity; and in response to receiving the registration message, provide free game play credits to the player who has registered with the charitable entity.
 19. A game server comprising: a memory operatively coupled to a processor for hosting a game; and a network interface for receiving a request from a client device of a player to play the game; wherein the processor is configured to cooperate with the network interface to: enable game play on the client device of the player; request a donation from the player to continue play or to enable access to a game feature; and continue game play or enable access to the game feature only if the donation is received.
 20. The server as claimed in claim 19 wherein the processor requests the donation at either a transition from a completed game level to a successive game level or at an end of game play.
 21. The server as claimed in claim 19 wherein the processor requests the donation at a randomly determined time.
 22. The server as claimed in claim 19 wherein the processor causes a donation request screen to be displayed at the client device, the donation request screen enabling the player to make a donation to a charitable entity in order to continue playing the game.
 23. The server as claimed in claim 22 wherein the donation request screen is displayed with a plurality of preset donation amounts corresponding to game play credits.
 24. The server as claimed in claim 22 wherein the donation request screen is displayed with an option to enter a user-specified amount for the donation.
 25. The server as claimed in claim 19 wherein the processor causes an information screen to be displayed, the information screen presenting information about the charitable entity and providing a user interface element to continue play.
 26. The server as claimed in claim 22 wherein the donation request screen comprises a selection of multiple charitable entities.
 27. The server as claimed in claim 19 wherein the network interface receives via a social network hosting the game an invitation message from the player to invite a friend to play the game and wherein the processor, upon detecting that the friend has initiated play of the game, provides free game play credits to the player who has invited the friend to play.
 28. The server as claimed in claim 19 wherein the network interface receives a registration message from the charitable entity to confirm that the player has registered with the charitable entity whereupon the processor provides free game play credits to the player who has registered with the charitable entity. 